Kindred Spirits
by imaginary-witness
Summary: Halloween has always been Levi's favourite day of the year, mostly because of his love for all things spooky, macabre, and vampire. Unfortunately, this year is going to be awful since his best friends unavailable to be there with him. Luckily, the staff at the local new horror shop have plans to invite him along to their party, complete with the monsters he adores. (Halloween 1hit)


Characters: Erwin Smith, Levi, Hanji Zoe, Michael Zacharius, Isabella Magnolia, Furlan Church  
Ratings: T/Teen  
Warnings: None  
Genre: Alt. Universe, Vampire, Halloween, Romance, Horror, Supernatural.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters in this story, living (or passed) human beings or fictional characters. These events never happened, according to history or as the original author intended them. This is a work of fiction and is not intended to offend. For entertainment purposes only. Thanks.

 **Author's Note:** Happy Halloween 2018! Just a quick Halloween one-shot.

* * *

The rain falling against the window this morning had been his cue that today was not going to be pleasant. From the moment he had stepped out of bed and discovered that his box of breakfast tea was empty to the fact that his boot had a leak in it during his walk to work reassured Levi that today was going to be one of those days in which the best part was when you got to tuck yourself back into bed and pretend the whole day didn't happen in the first place. To make matters worse, two of his colleagues had called in sick, he spilled a man's order of soup onto himself, and he still had to go to the grocery store before he headed home. Now that he was there, he wished he had come lineup for the check-out was enormous, stretching down three of the aisles. Everyone standing in line had boxes of assorted chocolates tucked under their arms and pumpkins in their hands; it seemed that everyone here was in a mad rush to get the required items home before sunset tonight, as it was already Halloween.

And that was why Levi Ackerman was so upset. Halloween was his favourite day of the year, and already it had been ruined for him. To add insult to injury, his best friend Furlan had been sent away at the last minute for a business trip and was unable to hang out with him as they usually did. His sister - for all intents and purposes - had finally found herself a suitable boyfriend and wanted to spend the night going out to one of his friend's parties, and so Levi - rained on, abandoned, and pumpkin-less, with a soaked right sock - was left heading to the grocery store to pick up a box of tea, a pumpkin, and a box of chocolate for any trick-or-treaters that would stop by his door. He was feeling bummed out that the one day of the year he looked forwards to, even more than his own birthday, was going to be spent watching crappy horror movie re-runs on television, stuffing his face with junk food, and then crying himself to sleep after reading every short story that contained a blood-thirsty vampire. It was a shame that he would have to survive another three-hundred-and-sixty-five days before he would get to feel the same excitement for this holiday to come around again.

Shifting his pumpkin in his arms, he waited and waited until he could put his soon-to-be purchases down on the automatic conveyor belt that would take them to the dimbo cashier to ring up. Then he paid his twenty-one-thirty-five and picked up his multiple bags. He walked home with his head down to keep the rain water from dripping into his eyes, and then he set his bags and pumpkin down to take off his leaking shoes. He made sure he headed straight home and didn't take a detour to the new magic shop Furlan and him had stumbled across three weeks ago.

The store was small and shabby, an easy to miss kind of place if a person wasn't searching for anything dark or macabre. But Levi loved all things dark and macabre, so as they walked past on their way to the liquor store they often frequented on a Thursday night, Levi reached out and grabbed Furlan's arm, pointing out the new store to him with an excited grin. The shop had opened 'just in time for Halloween,' Levi had exclaimed, before begging his friend to come with him inside. Everything from the bat hanging upside down from the awning outside to the life-size coffin behind the counter had thrilled Levi, and it took much effort on his sandy-blonde friend to convince him not to spend his entire pay check on every last thing that had to do with vampires or undead.

The only person inside the shop was a pale, tall woman with long brown hair tied back in a flowing ponytail. She greeted them but stayed behind the counter, and made no effort to interact with them beyond what her job required. Leaving them free to browse, she returned to cleaning up the counter in front of herself. Without her interference, Levi gazed around at everything in the store in awe, amazed by the quality of their items and surprised that no one else was in here since Halloween was just around the corner. In the end, Furlan had decided to split the cost with Levi on an enticing bottle of antique champagne and convinced the dark-haired boy to drop only what was necessary for a sterling silver thumb-ring that had the word, 'moroi,' engraved in it.

"That's Romanian for-"

"Vampire." Levi finished for the brunette sales-lady. "Dead and-"

"Nightmare. Exactly." The brunette gave him a rare smile, and her bright eyes appeared calculating behind her rectangular spectacles.

The lady left Furlan feeling unnerved and he attempted to coax Levi to leave the store with him when the brunette pushed an ancient looking book towards them.

"You don't mind leaving us your email, would you?" She asked, "We can keep you up to date with all our latest arrivals and put things on hold for you if you do."

Levi's bright eyes had lit up and he took the quill pen offered to him with ease. The brunette watched him, her thin eyebrows raising in approval as she watched how effortlessly he made writing with a quill pen look. Furlan watched her watching him, and stepped closer to his friend. "It's a lovely store." He had told the brunette, then ushered Levi towards the door.

Levi had intended to return to the store as soon as he could. But between working extra hours and meeting his friends for spontaneous dating advice and squeezing in a drink whenever their work hours allowed them to meet up, he hadn't even had time to pick up the traditional thirteen pumpkins he would carve for thought of the store motivated him though, and it reminded him that while he was alone for Halloween, it was still Halloween.

By the time he had arrived home, his attitude had shifted tremendously and he headed immediately towards his kitchen, carrying his purchases with him, his pumpkin bouncing in his hands. He put his tea and goodies away before tearing open the box of chocolates he had bought and poured the contents in a bowl to put near the front door. He turned off all the lights and turned on all the electronic pumpkins he had strew about his house, along with all the strings of orange and purple lights. He turned on his small stereo and began to play his favourite Halloween tunes, then covered the kitchen table in newspaper and placed his pumpkin down on it, ready to carve. Without drawing a face on it, he took his pointy kitchen knife - a homage to his favourite masked serial killer - and stabbed into the tough flesh of the pumpkin in one smooth movement.

He spent the next half-hour swaying his hips to the changing beat of the music, singing along, and trying to make the most of his lonely Halloween. Just because he was on his own didn't mean he was going to sulk about it. He was going to make the most of today since it was the one day of the year he had spent since last year waiting for. Once he was done carving, his pumpkin featured an artistically scary face, complete with angry, pointy eyes and slit cat-like pupils, a small triangular nose, and a crooked, jagged smiled. He smiled at it, impressed with his angry handiwork, and then placed a candle inside it. He carried it to the door and placed it on his front porch, bending down to make sure it was nestled against the small concrete siing to the few steps leading up to his door. He shifted it back and forth, then once he was sure it was as inviting as it's spooky face could be, he stood up and gazed out at the street. All the trees lining the roadsides were bare, a few still stubbornly clinging to their orange leaves. Other adults were placing their jack-o'lanterns on their porches as well, and a few children were rushing about to meet their friends, dressed up like little cats, zombies, and werewolves. Traffic was for once quiet, and as Levi turned his back on the scene outside and headed back into his home to return to the kitchen, fully intending to order a pizza, he missed sighting the matte black hearse that pulled up to a stop outside his apartment. The car did nothing other than park outside, but it's appearance on the quiet, residential street of slim house-like apartments, was usual; almost as unusual as Levi's day today.

Once he had closed the door, Levi felt a strange emotion fill him. Just because Furlan and Isabella weren't here to spend the night with him didn't mean he had to spend it inside and alone watching re-runs and eating pizza made by a spiteful teen who didn't get the day off to go smoke weed at a shitty house party. Stripping off his work clothing, Levi headed to his bedroom and opened his closet, pushing past the socially appropriate clothing and his casual weekend wear, heading straight to the back of the bar holding his clothing that he reserved for his extra special holiday. He pushed past all of the contemporary costumes and traditional horror wear, past the vampires, skeletons, creatures of the night, and chose the outfit he had purchased two years ago during a post-Halloween clearance sale. It was too small to have sold to any adult that wanted it, but it fit him perfectly - as if it were made for him - and was both sexy and inviting as it was scary. Slipping into the metallic-black pants and lacing them up, he tightened a thick silver belt around his waist with a large upside-down cross as the buckle, and then added a black, leather harness made of two straps across his chest. Afterwards, he pulled on a long, heavy black trench coat and pulled out the large shoebox on the floor of his closet. Inside was a pair of thigh-high black boots, which he clipped at the top with a black leather and silver garter to his silver waist-belt. And to tie the entire outfit together, he slipped his arms into the long, black leather jacket that shone purple in bright light. Its material was heavy, but the arms were detached at both the elbow and the shoulders, held on by a net of mesh that allowed the wearer to breathe and not sweat.

Feeling much better about himself, Levi headed to his small bathroom and ran a brush through his jet-black hair. He pulled the mirror-door on his cabinet open and reached inside to retrieve some crimson contacts, which he popped into his eyes, and then he painted his face pale with foundation. He added blue veins along the thin skin under his eyes and then patted a layer of dark beige eyeshadow overtop to make himself look even more sleep deprived than he already was. Lastly, he took out his custom-made vampire fangs - that he had paid his dentist a fat portion of one of his income tax returns to make - and slipped the custom grill over his top teeth to give himself his long, vampire fangs. With this last detail added, Levi looked like he was one of the monsters he fervently wished were real.

Levi then headed to the kitchen. He took a piece of paper and scrawled the words 'Trick-or-Treat' on it, then took it and the bowl full of chocolates to the front porch. He left the bowl beside his jack o'lantern and locked the door behind himself, then turned to gaze around the street, wondering where he wanted to go to first, having not made a conscious plan for his evening as he got prepared to enjoy the night. He thought about going to the mystery store full of spooky goods and seeing if the brunette sales-lady was available to hang out with for the night. The opportunity to speak to someone knowledgeable about vampires without having Furlan constantly supervising him seemed like a worthy substitute to his friends being unavailable to spend time with. Instead, he was surprised to find the brunette staring at him from the sidewalk in front of his home, leaning against the side of a luxurious hearse. She was wearing a black tailcoat and matching dress pants, with grey ankle boots and a crisp white dress shirt with a high collar, and white driving gloves. Her thick brown hair was up in it's high ponytail, although today she had a small amount of it crossed over her forehead in a sweeping bang. The golden buttons on her coat glinted brightly in the light of the flickering candles from all the pumpkins.

"Levi." She greeted him, standing up straight and raising a hand in greeting. "I hoped that you would be in the mood for an adventure."

Levi's boots echoed softly as he made his way down his front steps and towards her. "I didn't catch your name when we first met in the shop, but I was just thinking of heading down to see you now. How do you know where I live?"

"You wrote it down in the ledger." The woman replied with a smile, as if this was obvious.

Levi's eyebrows pinched together for a moment; he was sure that he had only written down his name and email address in the book when he had visited the shop with Furlan weeks ago. He considered he could be mistaken, email address and address being easy to mix up, so he shrugged it off.

"I must've forgotten what information I gave you…um?" He once more prompted for her name.

"Hanji." She replied, her light voice casual yet enthusiastic. She placed her right hand over her heart and bowed at the waist. "Hanji Zoe."

"Hanji." Levi repeated. "Sorry, Hanji. I…'ve been working overtime recently."

Hanji only nodded. She then stepped away from the hearse and in one smooth movement, reached behind herself as she stepped away to open the hearse's front passenger door for Levi. She waved a hand towards the opened door and bowed her head. "My lord." She stated.

Levi chuckled nervously, sure the woman was merely joking in both her words and actions. "You're not serious-" he began.

"Oh, but I am!" The woman replied with a wicked smile, "I invite you on this mysterious night to join me in a short trip."

Levi bit his lower lip but couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his thin lips. "Okay, that is cool." He replied, "Thank you, I would…enjoy that."

He approached the open door of the hearse and paused to gaze into Hanji's eyes, then he stepped into the hearse and slipped into the seat. Hanji closed the door once he was inside and crossed the front of the hearse as Levi pulled on his seatbelt. She slipped inside, fastened her own seatbelt and turned the key in the ignition. The vehicle purred to life around them as Levi gazed around himself. The interior of the hearse was modern and sleek, with polished cherrywood panelling and smooth black leather seats. The entire thing smelt fresh and cool, like spring rain, and the dark dashboard lit up in a bright blue.

Levi gasped as his attention was drawn to the back of the hearse, where the coffin from behind the store counter was lying.

"Oh, sorry about that." Hanji began, beginning to pull up on a button that brought a thin, tinted window to rise between the front seats and the space where the coffin lay. "I should have rolled up the window, let me-"

"No." Levi gasped, shaking his head, "No, it's fine. Um, it's fine. I just…didn't expect-"

"A coffin or a body?" Hanji asked, then laughed softly. "No, someone purchased the coffin for a party decoration. I was going to drive it over tonight when I thought you'd like to come. You did show quite the interest in it."

Levi seemed to be disappointed by this news, his shoulders drooping as he slumped in his seat. "Oh." He stated, frowning and completely ignoring her jest on coffin or body. "I- yeah, I was interested in it. Too bad someone beat me to purchasing it."

"Did I say purchasing?" Hanji asked, glancing at Levi from the corners of her eyes. Her tone of voice resembled a poorly rehearsed line, one which Levi wasn't sure was because it was meant to be a joke or not. "I meant to say rented. We only rent this coffin out, that's why we have this hearse. Coffins can be rented for a maximum of three-days. But we do sell brand new prop coffins as well. Those are just ordered in…specialty kind."

Levi perked up at this information. "Wow! He exclaimed, "That's interesting! I didn't know or I would have rented one for tonight."

"Really?" Hanji asked, turning the hearse at an amber light. "What for?"

"To sleep in." Levi replied, as if this was the most obvious reason in the world. "Why else?"

Hanji chuckled lowly. "That does sound reasonable." She replied. "Say, you wouldn't mind helping me unload this thing, would you? Then we could probably drive down to the old cemetery just south of here."

"Saintsburg Cemetery?" Levi asked. This cemetery was one of his favourite places to visit but it was out of walking distance from his home.

"Yeah, that's the one." Hanji replied. "Sorry, new shop, new area and all." She grinned, "What d'ya say?"

"I say that sounds awesome!" Levi replied, a smile on his face.

Hanji nodded and glanced towards Levi, noting the silver ring on his left hand. "That's great." She replied, her voice adopting a dark tone of approval.

They fell silent for a while as Levi turned to gaze at the coffin lying in the back of the hearse. Hanji had added a bouquet of flowers on top of it, and had two wreaths, stands, and framed portrait stored beside it. He couldn't see who the portrait was of, since the back of the hearse was so dark, but he felt a thrill of excitement seeing all the stuff in the back.

While he was distracted by all the props the customer had rented for their party, he hadn't kept watch on where exactly they were going. Hanji had driven them past the city limits, towards the mountains. The hearse had travelled into the dense woods, then began to gradually climb the mountainside. From here, the city lights appeared to be a glimmering circle of light far below them and a shower of rain had begun to fall. Levi realized the patch of lights was actually the city in the distance as the sound of rain caused him to look out the window. He turned his attention back to Hanji.

"Um, Hanji," He began, "Just how far away _is_ this customer?" He asked.

"Where's your sense of adventure, Levi?" Hanji questioned him, "Don't worry, we're nearly there. They live just out of town, up on this mountain. They gave me directions, see?" She reached out and grabbed a clipboard with a small pad of parchment paper was held onto it by its metal arm from where it was resting on the dashboard and handed it to Levi. He read over the same directions she had just told him, written out in elegant handwritten in the same ink that he had used with the quill pen to write in their shop ledger.

"Oh." He replied, figuring there was no point in asking the woman anything else on the topic. The answer he had received was vague, and he figured that any more questions on the matter would be met with equally vague answers.

Hanji smiled, glad that Levi had accepted her answer without further questions. "It'll be worth the long drive. Trust me." She replied.

And the woman was right. After a few more minutes of driving in the rain, the trees began to thin and the ground began to even out. The hearse slowed to a crawl as it followed a short, winding road towards the large silhouette of a manor nestled against the backdrop of the mountains. Levi's mouth dropped open in surprise, amazed that such a building existed so close to his home without him knowing.

"Hanji!" He gasped, "What is this place?"

"This is Draugur Manor." Hanji replied, "It used to be uninhabited, but apparently our customer just moved in recently and is throwing a large house-warming party tonight."

"Oh." Levi replied, "Wow! Makes me wish I didn't have to serve tables to afford my apartment back in the city." He joked.

Hanji smirked, "But then how would you afford this manor?" She asked.

Levi rolled his eyes. "If I were undead, I wouldn't need money." He replied.

"Right." Hanji agreed, not sounding entirely convinced.

She rolled the hearse to a stop in front of the stairs leading up to the front door. This close to the building, Levi could see the entire manor was made of a pearly white stone. He looked out the window and up at the building, trying to guess how many rooms were inside and what era the building dated back to. It was large and rectangular, but it had semi-circular windows and twin chimneys that seemed out of place from the Victorian era. The front entrance itself was built further back into the building, with the two wings on opposite sides of the manor coming out and wrapping around the entranceway. The roof was made of black metal and the entire building emitted an aura of nobility.

"This place is incredible." Levi murmured. He made to follow Hanji's lead, attempting to open the door to follow her out of the vehicle, but his own door didn't open. He tried again before turning to catch her attention.

She appeared at his door and opened it for him from the outside, smiling apologetically. "Oh, I'm sorry, Levi." She gushed, "I guess we don't have passengers much. It's tradition to ensure only the driver can escape the hearse of their own will. Want to keep death at the mercy of the living, after all."

Levi nodded, not entirely finding this information to be as funny as Hanji found it. "Uh-huh." He simply agreed. "Cool. Let's get this coffin out." He replied, changing the topic. He followed Hanji to the back of the hearse and she opened the backdoor.

"Alright. I gotta warn you, it is heavy." She stated.

"It's just a wooden box. I think we got it." Levi replied.

Hanji only smiled. "Why don't we take in the props first?" She began. "You know, set up the table, arrange the flowers. That sort of thing."

Levi licked his lower lip and nodded. "Um, alright." He replied, "Sounds reasonable. I'll take the flowers."

"Perfect!" Hanji agreed, handing him both the wreaths. "I'll take the portrait." She replied. She took the portrait and the three stands, then pushed the door closed again. "Follow me."

She led Levi up the steps of the manor, heading to the front door. The manor felt oddly quiet and uninhabited, with no noise or lights indicating any human presence, let alone a house-warming party. She put down the stands and grabbed the handle of the door-knocker, striking the bar that the ornamental gargoyle held in his teeth against the metal plate behind it several times.

All of a sudden, the inside of the manor was illuminated by orange flames and orchestral music filled the air, as if they had gone back in time to a lively ball being thrown in this manor during another era. The door was opened by a tall blonde man with a thick moustache. He wore a uniform of all black with silver buttons and white gloves. "You must be the hearse." He stated, his voice low.

Levi felt a shiver run up his spine. The man seemed socially awkward and out of place with the rest of society, and yet he was able to command their arrival with such authority and confidence that Levi felt overwhelmed.

"We are. Where are we setting up?" Hanji replied, not at all disturbed by the man.

"Follow me." The man replied. He led them into the manor, through the large entrance hall, along the polished white stone floors, and towards the room directly under the indoor balcony, between the twin, curved, ivory stairways. A grand ballroom greeted them, the entire thing illuminated by tall white candles that bordered the perimeter of the room. A large table at the end of the room was shrouded in black velvet, and tall golden candelabras stood behind the table. "The table is prepared." He explained.

Hanji nodded, then handed the man one of the stands. "A wreath for either side I presume. And one stand for the portrait, to the left of the coffin. Space is always reserved for speaker's the right, traditionally."

The man seemed keen on interrupting, as if he wanted to say that he had attended his fair share of funerals and was already aware of which side of the coffin the speaker would stand, but he managed to keep quiet about it. Instead, he simply nodded and then helped Hanji with placing the stands. Levi handed Hanji the wreaths and she placed them, before the three of them headed back through the manor to the hearse.

"I'll give you a hand, I understand it's heavy." The man stated.

"Oh, thank you. That would be great." Hanji replied.

Levi said nothing. He wasn't sure how heavy a prop coffin could be, but if they needed the tall, broad man's help, he wasn't sure it was prop after all. He was confident that the would have been able to carry it there with only Hanji's help, his physical strength one of his prides, but he didn't refuse any of the help offered, especially since it wasn't his order or his company.

To his surprise, the coffin was heavy. As Hanji drag it out and he grasped one of the palls, he could already feel the weight being distributed amongst them. He was sure Hanji wouldn't have to bear as much since himself and the man from the manor had taken the brunt of it, but it was surprising to find that the coffin felt heavier than both how he imagined it to be and how it appeared to be. If Levi was honest, he would admit that he felt like the coffin wasn't empty. But then he was sure that was just his imagination getting away on him again. Just as it had the last few nights, where he imaged a bat flying outside his bedroom window, tapping the glass and trying to get in. Or just as it often did whenever Halloween approached.

Levi straightened the coffin out on the table with the man, then stepped back and waited for Hanji to wrap up business so they could leave. As he waited, he gazed around, wondering why the lights were on and music was heard, but no one besides the three of them seemed to be around. He wondered if the party had already started in another part of the manor and the noise was only trickling down, or if the party had yet to start, since the main prop in the main room was only just being delivered.

"Oh, no. He came down to the shop the other day. Was very interested in the coffin. Yes, he's quite keen on…the supernatural, I suppose."

Levi turned his attention to Hanji, surprised that she was telling the moustached-man all about him.

"You should stay then. Have him meet the owner of the manor. Perhaps they will get along." The man replied.

"Excuse me?" Levi stated, trying to break into their conversation. "I'm right here."

To Levi's surprise, Hanji and the man both seemed to ignore him completely and continue on with their conversation.

"Oh, that would be lovely. I think you're right, Michael."

"Thank you, Hanji. He should be coming along any moment now."

"Hey!" Levi shouted at them, "I'm right here!" He was surprised that neither of them even flinched as he raised his voice. "Hey!" He tried again, getting closer to them and waving his hands above his head, "I'm right-"

Suddenly a breeze flew through the room, chilling Levi to the bone and knocking out the lights. Levi turned around and faced the front door, pausing to see the doors to the ballroom blow in the wind and bang against the manor walls. Behind him, Hanji and Michael had gone, disappearing with the wind. He could feel their bodies disintegrate behind him, and yet he didn't feel alone.

"I'm right here." He mumbled, finishing his sentence in a voice that lost all its confidence. It wasn't that Levi had lost faith in himself, but rather he had lost faith in what he was seeing to be real.

The coffin behind him began to open, the lid lifting up by a force unseen to him. The creak of the wooden table and the squeak of the coffin's hinges caused Levi to shiver once more and he turned around slowly, half-expecting to find Hanji and Michael hiding behind the large coffin on the table.

His eyes widened as he realized that Hanji and Michael were nowhere to be seen. The coffin's lid was open and the crushed velvet inside appeared to have been slept in. But there was no body inside.

Levi turned around again and screamed out in surprise as he found himself staring at a tall man's chest. He took a step away, backing up so he could look up at the man, and found himself gazing into the bright gaze of a dazzling blonde. The man's golden hair was parted on the right, his hair swept towards the left. He was tall with defined cheekbones, a pale complexion, and smooth, full lips. He looked down his nose at Levi, his gaze full of authority and arrogance. His shoulders were broad and squared, his chest pushed out, and his eyes bright and red. He wore a dark red dress shirt with a crisp collar and a black vest overtop with a silver pocketwatch. His black pants also had a silver belt, and his black dress shoes were narrow at the ends. Around his neck was a dark grey cravat and a heavy green gemstone sat nestled in the bunched up fabric.

"Levi Ackerman, is it not?" The man asked, his voice heavy and yet bold, the voice of a calm commander.

Levi found he could only nod, surprised by the man's appearance. And also by his devilishly good looks. He felt as if he were rooted in the spot, his entire body paralyzed in place by a feeling that he had never felt before: a fear that was born out of the unknown about this man.

"You were interested in this coffin, were you not?" The man continued, gesturing to the coffin behind Levi with a lazy wave of one hand.

Levi opened his mouth to speak but his voice wouldn't come out loud enough to be heard. Instead, he nodded again.

"And why is it that such a young man like yourself would be interested in a coffin, hmm?" The man asked, leaning towards Levi so that he bent at the waist and could look into Levi's eyes. The man's own crimson eyes were bright and full, and from the absence of any rings around the iris, Levi was convinced they were naturally that colour.

"I- I- I wanted to- sleep in it, sir." Levi replied, trying his hardest to force some words out. Since the man had asked him a question he couldn't simply answer with a shake or nod, he felt he was able to speak again. It was then he realized that he felt as though an invisible hand had been squeezing his throat, keeping him from speaking in the first place when the blonde arrived.

To his surprise, the blonde laughed. The sound was like a church bell being rung: bright and uplifting. "Why would you _want_ to sleep in a coffin, oh young one? You are _alive,_ wouldn't you feel more comfortable in a _bed_?"

"A- a coffin is noth- nothing more than- a- a bed for the- dead." Levi replied, still struggling to get his words out without feeling strangled.

The blonde only laughed again and took a step towards Levi.

Levi immediately took a step back and glanced around, searching for Hanji or Michael anywhere. But the two others were nowhere to be found.

"I see you have an admiration for the dead, Levi." The blonde stated. And then he moved quickly, so quickly in fact, that Levi wasn't sure where he had gone. Until he sighted him on the other side of the coffin, his long pale fingers tracing the polished wooden top of the bottom half that had remained closed. "Would you like to give it a try, Levi?" The blonde asked.

Levi shook his head, not trusting that the man wouldn't shut him in the coffin. Once trapped inside, he would run out of air. And that wasn't the way he wanted to die.

"Oh," The blonde sounded disappointed, "I didn't mean the coffin." He stated suddenly, the corners of his lips twisting up in a wicked smile. "I mean, being dead."

Levi's eyes widened and he took another step away from the blonde. He kept his eyes on the man, trying hard not to blink. But the man was suddenly not where he had last seen him, he was nowhere near the coffin now. In fact, he was standing right in front of Levi again, coming around the table in a matter of nanoseconds.

He leaned into Levi again, this time grabbing his left hand in both of his own and holding it up to his chest. Levi was forced to raise his hand up towards his face to let the blonde guide him, surprised by how cold and smooth the man's skin was.

"Isn't that what you wanted, Levi?" The man asked, his breath against Levi's face cool and absent of any scent. "Isn't that what you dreamt of, Levi? To no longer have a beating heart? To no longer need to breath in such sickening, polluted air?"

Levi felt dizzy. The man's hands on his own was chilly, his breath against his face was intoxicating. Levi shivered and a moan of desire escaped his throat.

The blonde smiled and Levi could see his teeth flash white in the reflection of all of the orange flames that suddenly sprung up around them, illuminating the room once more, and illuminating the edges of the man's teeth; including the longer, pointy canines that Levi had always longed to have.

"Isn't this what you want, Levi?" The man whispered, his voice heavy and low. He began to sound as though he was begging Levi to say yes, his own voice tainted with desire for the shorter man to agree. "Just one bite." He stated.

Levi's breathing was shaky but he hadn't lost the ability to think logically just yet. "How-" he began, the cleared his throat, "How do I know what you offer me-"

"Is legitimate?" The man replied, "Because you it's true. You know that I am what you seek, what you sought for so long."

"Then why didn't I find you? Why did you find me?" Levi counted him.

"Because I was looking for you." The man replied. "I was passing through when I picked up on a scent I had never come across before. A sweetness, not of the body but of the soul. I detected someone in this area that had a desire to be darkened, to be tainted, to live an endless life, a sleepless death." As he spoke the man's long fingers crept up to hold Levi's jaw, squeezing it so that Levi's mouth was forced open in a wide 'O.' He moved to circle him, his lips at the young man's ear. "Do you realize how long a man must walk the earth before he finds that kindred soul? That same fire that burns inside himself? That becomes weaker with every passing human year alone? And then, to suddenly feel it so close by?

"So I set up shop in town with some of my own personal things. My coffin, for example. And my…family ring." He grinned as he spoke, a tone of pride in his voice as he lifted Levi's hand he was still holding. "I figured that…if my scent was in town, that your soul would feel mine. That you would be as attracted to me as I am to you. And you came. I watched you enter, with that scared little friend of your's. I watched you explore my stuff, trying to find what it was that would call out to you the most. And of all things, you wanted my bed."

The blonde chuckled, finding this incredibly amusing. There was a dark tone to his amusement that made the man seem impossible to be innocent. "You wanted to spend a night lying in my bed," he repeated, "And I admit that I couldn't have been happier.

"Forgive me, for waking you up at night. But I had to see you in your own bed - your human bed - and I wanted to get as close as I could to you. Sometimes in my…other forms, I have trouble seeing glass." He waved this fact off, as if it was perfectly naturally for a man to transform into a clear-blind bat and knock on young men's windows in the middle of the night. "But you seemed to know what you were looking for before you met me, reading those stories to sleep each night, silently begging to find me."

The man stopped circling Levi suddenly, standing just to the right of his body before he reached out and traced Levi's face from temple to jaw with the nail of his index finger.

"Forgive me for taking so long to find you, Levi. But I am here now, and I can offer you what you seek and _more_."

Levi's breathing had increased as the man spoke and now that he was breathing faster, his heart was beating faster. The man's hand lowered until his fingers wrapped around Levi's throat and squeezed ever so slightly, feeling the pulsing blood in his veins.

"Ahhh, just one bite." He purred, beginning to lean in to press his lips against Levi's neck.

"Wait!" Levi cried out, stepping back and pulling away from the man.

The blonde straightened up, his expression confused. "I don't understand Levi-" he began, clearly upset that the dark-haired man was playing games.

"Let me explain." Levi stated, breathing heavily. He held up a hand, the same one the vampire had been holding onto. "I do…want what you offer." He gasped, trying to catch his breath enough to speak but also speaking fast enough that the man wouldn't lose his patience. "I do. But…I don't even know your name."

The blonde began to laugh. The sound was low and ominous, full of amusement but also of sorrow. "Of course, I get ahead of myself." He agreed, "I spent so much time watching you, following you, to your work, to your home, that I forget how little you know about me."

"I never…even spoke to you." Levi reminded the vampire, then glanced around. "I only spoke to Hanji."

"Hanji?" Erwin laughed again, "Oh, my dear Hanji. She joined us when my brother Michael found her. She is his kindred soul, the same as you are mine." Erwin held a hand out for Levi to take, and as soon as Levi's hand was in his own he dropped down to one knee before the dark-haired man. "I am Erwin Smith, and I would be honoured if you would be my mate, Levi."

Levi blushed, colour filling his cheeks, and Erwin's eyes flashed with a darkness that made Levi's heart go cold.

"I would love to be your mate, Erwin Smith." Levi replied.

The blonde smiled and stood up, removing the necklace with the green gemstone from around his neck and slipping it over Levi's head and onto his body. "It looks good here, like it belonged here all alone." He whispered, caressing the stone against the cleavage of Levi's pectoral muscles. "You look absolutely ravishing." He stated, exposing his fangs as he smiled.

Levi blushed once more and licked his own lips. "You are simply…inviting, Mr. Smith." Levi replied.

Erwin smiled, amused by Levi's word choice. "Do you invite me in then, Levi?" Erwin replied.

"I do." Levi smiled, tilting his head to look up at Erwin as the blonde stepped closer to him. "I invite you in."

Erwin smiled proudly and then firmly grasped the back of Levi's neck in his hand. His free hand came to hold Levi's shoulder and then he leaned down and pressed his lips against Levi's. They moved together for a moment, his cold dead kiss stopping Levi's beating heart and sucking the air from his lungs. Levi moaned once and became dizzy, not protesting as he slowly began to die. When his arm fell limply at his side, Erwin pulled away, calmly looking down at Levi. He watched as his dark eyelashes fluttered and his chest began to rise with breath again, before he leaned in and kissed his neck once, following the scent of his thick, rich blood. Then he pierced into his flesh with his razor sharp fangs, letting them slide into Levi's skin like a knife into warm butter. Levi gasped and stiffened, then fell against the vampire as his blood began to drain out of him. Like a mortician, Erwin began to drain the blood, replacing it with the venom that would not only make Levi an immortal, but attached to him for the rest of eternity.

For seven minutes Levi lay in Erwin's arms, having the humanity drained from him and replaced with something greater, something rarer. Erwin sucked his body dry, then he kissed his neck and slowly pulled away, careful to extract his fangs from Levi's neck the same way he had entered to avoid grotesque scars. He picked up his mate and watched as his limbs draped limply down from his hold. Levi would sleep for one more night and then he would never slumber again. And for his last night as a human, for a special treat on his favourite day of the year, as a gift for the first night for the rest of their existence together, Erwin was going to make his wish come true and have him sleep in his coffin.

Erwin cradled Levi's upper body against his chest as he lifted the lid on the bottom half of his coffin. Then he carefully lay Levi inside, taking the time to adjust his hands and hair. He smoothed his long trench coat around him and then kissed his lips once more. They were cold and numb and Erwin smiled as they were suddenly the same temperature. He felt oddly alive again, a part of his body buzzing with the blonde of his mate inside himself, consuming him as Levi's body consumed the venom he was injected with. He lowered the lid on the bottom half of the coffin, wanting to prolong the amount of time he would have to gaze at Levi's face. He could stay at his side as he transformed and wait, gazing only at him. But he knew that locking out all the oxygen would make the process go by quicker, would bond them stronger to have Levi in isolation in Erwin's final resting place. And he had his own transformation to complete, ensuring their future home would be full of the things Levi had admired the most from Erwin's collection at the store. He kissed his lips one more time, then lowered the lid on the coffin, securing his mate inside.

He turned and smiled, finding Hanji and Michael watching him. Michael was holding Hanji's waist, but their affectionate eyes were on their friend. Erwin nodded at them, silently thanking them for their help. "I know it isn't much from his home, but I brought this with us." Hanji mumbled, holding Levi's jack-o'lantern in her hands. It was the one he had carved earlier that day, the one that he had set on his front porch for all the trick-or-treaters. "I brought it with us in the hearse." Hanji explained, "There was just something about it that felt-"

"Right." Erwin finished for her and nodded, "I agree." He took the pumpkin and set it down on the table beside the coffin. Then he lifted the lid of the jack-o'lantern and blew out the candle inside it, letting the dark smoke travel upwards before fading into the sky like a lost soul.

"Happy Halloween, my darling." He whispered to the coffin, to his mate inside. "Tomorrow is the day we celebrate the dead."


End file.
